Aeronca 7AC accident near Warrenton, Virginia, May 6, 2018
On May 6, 2018 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1946 Aeronca 7AC, registered N83581, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Warrenton, Virginia (Warrenton-Fauquier airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the takeoff initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2018 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Warrenton, Virginia · Warrenton-Fauquier · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC NO SERIES, built 1946 · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N83581 · registry record · serial 7AC-2257
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the purpose of flight was to provide a "proficiency check" for the pilot in the front seat. The pilot was on the controls and landed the airplane after accomplishing one pattern. During the subsequent takeoff, about 5 ft above ground level, the airplane's right wing "went down," and the pilot applied left stick, but the airplane struck the ground. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the instructor reported that he believed that the airspeed was too slow during the takeoff climb and that the airplane stalled. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift struts. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 20° at 4 knots. The pilots used runway 15. The pilot and instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,450 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,355 as pilot in command; 2,480 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 23, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 339 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 247 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 3, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,083.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 5,084 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWY Warrenton VA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: HWY Warrenton VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from KHWY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 26, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – Telephone Interview, CFI | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.